CSOs applaud outgoing IMF representative Dr Medina

 CIVIL society organisations (CSOs) in Ghana have commended the outgoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative, Dr. Leandro Medina, for his commit­ment to fostering open and inclusive dialogue throughout Ghana’s ongoing IMF-supported Extended Credit Facili­ty (ECF) programme.

At a farewell event organised in Accra by the Economic Governance Platform (EGP), CSO leaders praised Dr. Medina for sustaining construc­tive engagement between the IMF and local stakeholders, a move they said had strengthened Ghana’s policy discourse and enhanced transparency in the programme implementation.

Professor Godfred A. Bokpin, an economist at the University of Ghana (UG), described Dr. Medina as toler­ant and accommodating of diverse perspectives.

“We have, at times, disagreed openly with the IMF, but you never closed the door on engagement. These interactions sharpened our thinking and practice.

You are leaving at a time when Ghana’s macroeconomic indicators are beginning to improve, a testa­ment to the collaboration we have seen under your leadership,” he said.

The Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Mrs Beauty Emefa Narteh, lauded Dr. Medina’s inclusive ap­proach, which she noted built on the foundation laid by his predecessor.

“You sustained and strength­ened the momentum of civil society engagement with the IMF. This was evident when CSOs were the first stakeholders the IMF Managing Direc­tor met during her visit to Ghana last year,” she added.

Mr Abdul Karim, Coordinator of the EGP, also applauded Dr Medina’s openness, saying; “Your commitment to include our perspectives in IMF-re­lated discussions is deeply appreci­ated.”

Similarly, Mr Benjamin Boakye, Executive Director of the Africa Cen­tre for Energy Policy (ACEP), com­mended the outgoing representative for deliberately creating space for CSO participation during each review mission.

“You ensured there was room for dialogue before every review, strengthening our ability to contrib­ute meaningfully to policy discus­sions,” he noted.

Reacting, Dr Medina expressed gratitude to the CSOs for the part­nership built over the past years.

“Effective collaboration does not require agreement on every issue. Even in our differences, we found common ground to advance Ghana’s economic progress,” he said.

The farewell event was graced by key figures from civil society and ac­ademia, including Dr. Kojo Asante of the Centre for Democratic Develop­ment (CDD-Ghana), Mrs Mary Awelana Addah of Transparency International Ghana, and Dr Steve Manteaw of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas (CSPOG).

 By Abigail Annoh

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